This invention relates to vent covering assembly, and particularly relates to air vent covering assembly, which is adapted to be mounted to a floor, in the peripheral region of an air vent opening therethrough. The air vent covering assembly of the present invention is designed in such a manner that flow of air passing through the air vent covering assembly may be regulated.
The use of air vent covering assemblies has, of course, been known for many years. They are commonly found in building structures to cover duct openings in the floor, wall or ceiling of a room. The duct openings are, in many instances, part of the heating and ventilation systems.
Typically, air vent covering assemblies are used for aesthetic reasons. The cover plate of the air vent covering may be constructed from materials chosen from such group of materials consisting of wood, metals or plastics. Thus, builders or home owners may choose the desired color or design of a cover plate to match the color of the floor, wall, or ceiling.
At the same time, air vent covering assemblies are employed due to safety reasons. Particularly, in the case of a duct opening in the floor, air vent covering assemblies are used to prevent objects to be fallen into the duct openings, and most importantly, to prevent people from stepping into the duct openings.
The field of air vent covering assembly is a crowded art and encompasses a wide variety of differing embodiments. In general, an air vent covering assembly comprises a cover plate, a plurality of louvers, and a damper mechanism for regulating the flow of air through the spaces defined by the plurality of louvers. Typically, but not necessarily, the air vent covering assembly may also include a filter, so as to remove dust and particulate matter in the air from the heating and ventilation system. The filter is replaceable so as to ensure that no excess particulate matter becomes clogged within the filter over a long period of time.
The air vent covering assembly provided by the present inventor comprises a cover plate, a base, at least one damper plate, and first and second brackets having at least a top channel member. The cover plate has a perimeter which is greater than the perimeter of the base, so as to form a flange extending outwardly beyond the perimeter of the base, at each side and end thereof. When the air vent covering assembly is mounted to a floor, in the peripheral region of an air vent opening, the bottom surface of the cover plate, in the region of the flanges, overlies the floor on which the air vent covering assembly is placed. In the air vent covering assembly of the present invention, the cover plate and the base also have a plurality of spaced-apart and substantially parallel louvers formed therein, in which each of the plurality of louvers defines an edge of a space. Furthermore, each of the at least one damper plate includes a plurality of spaced-apart and substantially parallel damper bars, and is such that the number of damper bars is equal to the number of louvers provided. Still further, each of the at least one damper plate has an actuator arm secured thereto, which allows the user to open or close the damper plate. When the damper plate is in an open position, flow of air through the spaces defined by the plurality of louvers is allowed, and when the damper plate is in a closed position, flow of air through the spaces defined by the plurality of louvers is precluded.
Several typical prior art vent covers are now described. They include JADRAN et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,794 B1, published Jun. 5, 2001, which teaches a minivent air filter for filtering air passing through a vent in a force air system. The minivent air filter includes a vent cover and a tubular vent sleeve in communication with the vent cover. The vent sleeve has a elongate slot in which a filter is inserted. A pair of support rails are disposed in the vent sleeve below the elongate slot. There is no mechanism to allow the user to adjust the opening and closing of the louvers which extend across the upper opening of the vent cover to regulate the passage of air flow.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,776 issued Nov. 16, 1999, the inventor BERGER has provided a register assembly for covering an air duct opening. The register assembly comprises a faceplate, a base, a damper mechanism and a filter frame that are removably secured one to another. The faceplate is replaceable, allowing the use of various ornamental designs of the faceplate grid on the same base containing the damper mechanism and filter frame.
In another U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,260 issued to HENDRICK et al., the inventors teach an air vent insert for mounting to the perimeter of a vent opening in a building structure. The air vent insert has threaded mounting holes for securing an air vent cover. The insert includes an open frame having front and back faces, generally rectangular inner and outer perimeter edges, a spaced apart pair of elongate side members extending between the end members. The inner perimeter edge of the frame defines a central opening. The frame is designed for mounting to a building structure around the periphery of an air vent opening in the building structure such that the center opening of the frame extends around the outer periphery of the air vent opening in the building structure. Accordingly, when the air vent cover is mounted to the air vent insert, the air vent cover substantially covers the central opening.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,044 issued May 23, 2000 to ORENDORFF, the inventor has provided a vent assembly having a vent cover which is detachably mounted to a damper housing. Particularly, the invention is directed to couplers which are mounted to the damper housing, each having a catch portion which is inserted into a respective air flow slot of the vent cover to engage the vent cover and couple these components together. The couplers may be constructed to permit flexing of the couplers during the insertion process, with the couplers being biased to engage the vent cover when no longer flexed. A filter housing may also be detachably coupled to the damper housing such that a filter may be inserted therethrough.
In yet another U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,962 B1 published May 8, 2001, the above inventor ORENDORFF teaches a vent coupler which has first and second leg portions and a latch element extending between the leg portions. The coupler may be formed from a single piece of wire and be detachably coupled to a vent damper. The latch element is inserted into a respective air flow slot of a vent cover to engage the vent cover and couple the vent cover to the damper.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,081 issued Jul. 1, 1997, the inventor KLEIN teaches a vent screen and vent apparatus including a vent duct along with an exterior grill connected to one end of the vent duct. The exterior grill includes a screen access opening. A vent screen support assembly is connected to the vent duct between the vent duct and the exterior grill. The vent screen support assembly further includes a transverse screen supporting track which is supported by the vent duct and a longitudinal screen supporting track connected to the transverse screen support portion. A vent screen is installed through the screen access opening and is supported by the vent screen support assembly. The exterior grill includes a plurality of grill slats. An adjustable vane assembly is supported by the vent duct, and a manually operated vane adjustment handle is connected to the adjustable vane assembly for adjusting the adjustable vane assembly.
Finally, MYERS U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,298 issued May 17, 1994 teaches floor vents for alternately supplying air to a conditioned space. When the floor vents are used in combination with a heating or cooling system, the delivery of air in a desired direction is facilitated. Louvers with integrally formed gears are pivotally mounted between ends of the vent, and are repositioned by a thumbwheel located below the upper surface of the grille portion of the vent. Additionally, the louvers are provided with integrally formed bushings and rotatable end elements to enhance rotation and reliability.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air vent covering assembly which is adapted to be mounted to a floor, in the peripheral region of an air vent opening therethrough.
The air vent covering assembly comprises a cover plate having top and bottom surfaces, first and second end walls, and first and second side walls, at least one damper plate having top and bottom surfaces, first and second brackets, each having inner and outer surfaces, and at least a top channel members. The first and second brackets are respectively positioned along the first and second side walls of the base.
Generally, the bottom surface of the cover plate is contiguous to the top surface of the base.
The cover plate has a perimeter which is greater than the perimeter of the base, so as to form a flange extending outwardly beyond the perimeter of the base, at each side and end thereof. When the air vent covering assembly is mounted to a floor, in the peripheral region of an air vent opening, the bottom surface of the cover plate, in the region of the flanges, overlies the floor on which the air vent covering assembly is placed.
The cover plate and the base have a plurality of spaced-apart and substantially parallel louvers formed therein, and the plurality of louvers extends downwardly from the top surface of the cover plate to the bottom surface of the base.
Each of the plurality of louvers defines an edge of a space, and the space extends from the top surface of the cover plate to the bottom surface of the base. Furthermore, each of the spaces has first and second edges. The first edge of each space is located in the region directed to the first end of the cover plate, and the second edge of each space is located in the region directed to the second end of the cover plate.
The top surface of the at least one damper plate is contiguous to the bottom surface of the base, and the at least one damper plate and the base are framed by the top channel members of each of the first and second brackets such that the inner surface of each of the first and second brackets is contiguous to the respective first and second side walls of the base.
Typically, each of the at least one damper plate has an actuator arm secured thereto. The actuator arm extends upwardly through a space which is defined at least at one side by one of the plurality of louvers, and the movement of the actuator arm is restricted by the distance between the first and second edges of the space.
Each of the at least one damper plate includes a plurality of spaced-apart and substantially parallel damper bars. The number of the damper bars is equal to the number of the louvers provided.
Each of the plurality of damper bars has first and second edges, and the distance between the first and second edges of each of the plurality of damper bars is at least as great as the distance between the first and second edges of each of the spaces defined by each of the plurality of louvers.
When the damper plate is in an open position, flow of air through the spaces defined by the plurality of louvers is allowed, and when the damper plate is in a closed position, flow of air through the spaces defined by the plurality of louvers is precluded.
In keeping with one aspect of the present invention, each of the first and second brackets of the air vent covering assembly may further comprise a bottom channel member.
Typically, but not necessarily, the air vent covering assembly may further comprise a filter, and the filter is framed by the bottom channel members of each of the first and second brackets.
The filter is formed from materials chosen from the group of materials consisting of open-cell foam, woven natural fibres, woven synthetic fibres, non-woven natural fibres, non-woven synthetic fibres, cellulose, polyethylene, polyurethane, and combinations and mixtures thereof.
The cover plate is formed from materials chosen from the group of materials consisting of wood, metals, or plastics.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of louvers includes a first set of louvers, and a second set of louvers. The first set of louvers extends downwardly from the top surface of the cover plate to the bottom surface of the base, and is angled away relative to the first end of the cover plate. The second set of louvers extends downwardly from the top surface of the cover plate to the bottom surface of the base, and is angled away relative to the second end of the cover plate.
The air vent covering assembly may comprise a first damper plate and a second damper plate. The top surface of the first damper plate is contiguous to the bottom surface of the base, in the region of the first set of louvers, and the top surface of the second damper plate is contiguous to the bottom surface of the base, in the region of the second set of louvers.
Each of the first and second damper plates includes a plurality of spaced-apart and substantially parallel damper bars. The number of the damper bars in the first damper plate is equal to the number of the louvers provided in the first set of louvers, and the number of the damper bars in the second damper plate is equal to the number of louvers provided in the second set of louvers.
In keeping with the present invention, each of the first and second damper plates has an actuator arm secured thereto.